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My roses are blooming a month early. My Swiss chard is bolting a month early, and my artichokes are about ready to harvest (normally we harvest them in May!) It’s much hotter than usual and the garden is definitely affected. I opened the windows and doors in the morning to cool the house as long…

This past week turned out very differently than I had imagined. My husband got a work assignment 2000 miles away, and he needed to be there in a couple of days time, which meant driving straight through with all of his equipment. I went with him so we could drive straight through without stopping over…

I harvested lemons, Swiss chard, tomatoes, snow peas, green onions, lettuce, cilantro, and parsley from my garden. Most of my parsley is bolting already, so I cut and dried lots of it in my dehydrator. The temperature rose dramatically and quickly to record highs, so I made sure to open windows early in the morning…

I was invited to be the speaker at a Seed Swap. The organizer had a lot of last year’s seeds donated from one source, in addition to the seeds that everyone brought. I took home a lot of free seeds, a mulberry branch cutting that I hope to root, and a baby octapus agave. I…

I harvested parsley, Meyer lemons, Swiss chard, garlic chives, oregano, and tomatoes from my garden. I mended a young son’s tie that had come almost completely unstitched. I stitched up holes in two stuffed animals. The weather turned colder. I made several soups this week, most of which were vegetable soups. It rained and I…

The weather was absolutely beautiful last week, and I opened the windows and doors each day to air out the house and enjoy listening to the birds sing. I harvested lemons, spinach, parsley, Swiss chard, and tomatoes from the garden. I made an eggless chocolate two-layer cake for my friend’s daughter’s birthday. My friend had…

I mended a hole in a cardigan. I returned some rose bushes that died to a big box store that has a one-year guarantee and received store credit, which I will use towards replacement roses once they are available. I harvested tomatoes, Swiss chard, lemons, and parsley from my garden. I roasted tomatoes from my…

I harvested tomatoes from the garden. My daughter made homemade bagels for the family. I cut roses from the garden to enjoy inside. I dug babies from my century plants and potted them. I will let them grow for a while and will try to sell them later this year. I started with one century…

I hosted a baby shower at my house making dishes and desserts using ingredients mostly from my pantry. I borrowed some warming dishes from my mom to keep the food warm. They plug in, so I didn’t need to buy anything to burn under them. I used platters purchased mainly from garage sales. Someone offered…

The weather turned colder and my tomato plants started to wilt (but not die; it must have been just above freezing). I cut them back and picked lots of tomatoes. Most were green; I will ripen them inside. I picked eggplant from a plant that didn’t freeze, and then cut the plant back. I’m hoping…

We picked mandarins, lemons, and tomatoes from the garden. I cut Swiss chard and lettuce from the garden. I cut roses from the garden. I sowed seeds in the garden for lettuce, spinach, mâche, and poppies. I helped my daughter sew a new pencil bag using some fabric she bought at Hobby Lobby on sale…